Cool wet dressing with bandages



Dec. 4, 1945. M. SENG 2,390,184

COOL WET DRESSING WITH BANDAGE Filed May 8, 1941 Patented Dec. 4, 1945 COOL WET DRESSING WITH BANDAGES Manfred Seng, Berlin, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application May 8, 1941, Serial No. 392,529

In Germany May 11, 1940 1 Claim.

The invention relates to improved wet dressings in the form of compresses covered with waterproof material as in the case of the well known Priessnitz dressing which consists of a moist covering over which a wrapping is placed and this dressing then covered with an oil cloth or other sealing material and wherein the increased heat develops vapours from the moist cloth which are retained in order to produce a warming effect, or in the form of cool. Heretofore, these wet dressings have been secured in place by means of initially dry bandages or cloths. While these prior bandages do desirably prevent the development of warm vapours, they have the disadvantage that the securing bandage gets wet and that the dressing dries too quickly and loses its efi'ect.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new type of cool wet dressing wherein, on the one hand, the development of warm vapours is prevented, and on the other hand, the dry securing bandage is prevented from becoming wet through to a, degree which irritates the patient.

This is accomplished by placing a perforated insert of waterproof material placed between the dressing and the bandage and wherein the insert is thick enough to prevent the dressing from coming into contact with the securing bandage through the holes of the perforated insert.

This novel arrangement serves to prevent the securing bandage from being completely wet through. While the securing bandage may become wet to a certain extent, because of evaporation through the holes of the perforated insert, this wetting may be limited to such a small extent by a suitable size and number of the holes still sufiicient to produce a cooling effect of the dressing that the securing bandage will not become wet enough to irritate the patient.

In order that the insert have the required thickness without increasing its weight or its stiffness, it may be provided with an uneven surface by forming small hollow projections, ribs, grooves, or the like corrugations which serve to additionally separate the bandage from the dressing so as to assist in preventing the bandage from becoming wet.

In one form of the invention, the insert consists of a rough fabric which is impregnated with a waterproofing substance so as not to fill up the meshes of the fabric.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the insert; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sections taken on the lines 11-11 and IIIl1I of Fig. 1 respectively.

As will be seen in the drawing, the insert consists of a strip of the required width and of any desired length, formed by the pressing, rolling, or the like, of a homogeneous, non-absorbent, pliable, and sufliciently extensible material.

In the example illustrated, the surface of the insert is provided with ribs a so that, in spite of the small thickness of the material, the insert is of a considerable stoutness, and its weight is much less than thatv of a bandage of a corresponding thickness. Each rib is provided with perforations serving to conduct away the vapours developing in the wet dressing.

What is claimed is:

An insert adapted for interposition between a wet dressing adapted to be applied to a body surface, and a bandage overlying the insert and holding the dressing and the insert in place, said insert comprising a compacted, homogeneous, non-absorbent, waterproofed sheet of substantial thickness, at least a major portion of said sheet being permanently formed to provide spaced" projections extending on opposite sides of the median plane of the sheet, said projections acting to substantially increase the overall bulk and effective thickness of the insert without an increase in mass, while substantially reducing the areas of contact between the insert and the dressing, and substantially increasing the possibility of air circulation between the insert and.the bandage and between the insert and the dressing, said projections being formed in their crests with holes in number and size only suflicient to permit the passage of evaporation from the wet dressing while substantially precluding the passage of liquid moisture through the insert, whereby Wetting of the bandage by moisture from the wet dressing is prevented.

MANFRED SENG. 

